Office of Health Disparities Reduction Website

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

April is National Minority Health Month

During National Minority Health Month in April, the HHS Office of Minority Health (OMH) joins with its partners in raising public awareness about health and health care disparities that continue to affect racial and ethnic minorities and efforts to advance health equity.The theme for National Minority Health Month 2015 is “30 Years of Advancing Health Equity The Heckler Report: A Force for Ending Health Disparities in America.” This theme commemorates the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) efforts towards eliminating health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities that were mobilized by the findings from the Report of the Secretary’s Task Force on Black and Minority Health, commonly referred to as the Heckler Report.This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Report of the Secretary’s Task Force on Black and Minority Health, released in 1985 under the leadership of former HHS Secretary Margaret Heckler. This landmark report marked the first convening of a group of health experts by the U.S. government to conduct a comprehensive study of racial and ethnic minority health and elevated minority health to a national stage.This milestone anniversary serves as a paramount opportunity to highlight national and local efforts towards eliminating health disparities and advancing health equity, including legislative policy and actions such as the Affordable Care Act, the HHS Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, and the National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities. Despite our country’s progress towards ending health disparities, racial and ethnic minorities continue to face significant health disparities. This means our work is not yet done and we need your help.Throughout the year OMH – in conjunction with its federal, state, tribal, territorial, and local partners – will raise a clarion call for all Americans to take action towards ending health disparities in their community. Together through our collective efforts we can accelerate momentum towards achieving a nation free of disparities in health and health care.​To find out more about National Minority Health Month, contact OMHMedia@hhs.gov